Already staring at a later start to the season than most, Drexel also had a two-week pause just as practice began in early February. With those sorts of issues, it probably wasn’t a surprise the Dragons started 1-2.
Coach Brian Voelker acknowledges the lack of practice time played a role in the uneven start. But he also said this week the Dragons simply weren’t playing well at the time.
Not anymore.
Drexel (5-2, 3-2 Colonial) has won four games in a row — its longest winning streak since a nine-game run late in the 2014 season propelled it to its first NCAA tournament trip and an appearance in the quarterfinals — as it heads into Saturday’s trip to Fairfield and already avenged its losses to Massachusetts and Delaware.
This season has produced some striking contrasts in outcomes for teams who meet multiple times. The Delaware-Drexel series has to be near the top of the list. The Blue Hens won 19-12 on March 13 after darting to a 9-1 lead. On Saturday, the Dragons earned a 12-9 victory in Newark and now sit just a game behind Delaware in the league standings.
“We didn’t do the things we planned on doing all week and stood around and watched guys dunk on us [the first time],” Voelker said. “That definitely wasn’t the game plan. We were pretty determined not to let that stuff happen and played much better, and we caught a couple breaks. They hit a pipe early and hit [goalie] Ross Blumenthal in the face. When they step down, those guys don’t miss a lot. In the first game, they didn’t miss anything.”
The offense has come together as well and is averaging 16.8 goals during the winning streak. Redshirt freshman Sean Donnelly, a Syracuse transfer, has a team-high 12 assists to go with 18 goals.
Voelker doesn’t consider the newcomer to be a complete surprise, but he was a bit of a wild card given the limited work in the fall. He’s ultimately filled much of the role Matthew Varian occupied for the Dragons in recent seasons.
Senior Aidan Coll, who scored five goals against Delaware, is up to 20 goals for the season, and Ryan Genord has 16 goals and nine assists while toggling between attack and midfield.
“I think the good news for us is there’s not one guy you can concentrate on,” Voelker said. “There’s a bunch of guys that are doing good things for us, and there are also role players who have stepped up in games.”